Back online!

Sorry to have been away so long - been having some technical difficulties that are hopefully all sorted now so I will be trying to get back into the regular blogs. More later!

Ribbon cables

Just been called out for a service to a machine that kept blowing fuses - when I got there after some careful checking, discovered one of the ribbon cables was on the wrong way round. So be warned - check the basics very carefully before getting into a flap as something simple like this can lead you to believe that there is something very wrong with the board when there isnt!

Pinball history

I was recently asked a question by Sarah about how much it would cost per game to play pinball in the 70s in the US. Being in the UK it's very difficult to say, but if you have a bit of time on Google, there's a fair bit of info to be found. From what I can see the average game was either 5 cents or a quarter...

Things to do when you get a machine for the first time....

I know it can be an eagerly anticipated arrival, but beware rushing in! Before you switch the machine on check carefully to ensure there is no condensation and the machine is not too cold. If not sure, open the machine up (remove the glass, open up the backbox) and leave at room temperature for 24 hours BEFORE powering on. Otherwise you may find yourself frying some important circuit board components! The same applies if you are taking out a machine that has been in storage for some time....

Pinball bulbs

Pinstig received this question:

I stumbled across your Blog whilst looking for cheap Lamps for my Star Trek TNG (#44, #89, #555, #902/6).

Where's the cheapest place to get them? Ok, Ok, the US - I know! - but what about in the UK?

The daft thing is that I can get all of the Lamps I need cheaper from ebay, imported from the 'States than on any UK pinball website - that's even with a whopping £15 postage - the downside is that I don't want 200 of them!!

Any ideas?

Regards,

Jack

My answer, Jack, would be that if you are only after small quantities, then your best bet is probably Phil at Pinball Heaven.

Thanks, Pinstig

Pinstig's new toy

After many months of searching and breaking countless trolleys, Pinstig has finally found a stairclimbing trolley that works! It's a Powermate electric stairclimber and its fantastic! They're not cheap but they're well worth it if you've got to move a lot of heavy stuff up and down stairs, over thresholds, or in and out of the back of vans....

Pinstig back in contact....and a word about manuals

After a mad couple of weeks when there just hasnt been the time to post, I'm back again....While I've been away I've had an email from Jon asking about the availability of manuals to download from the newer Stern machines. Many of you will already know that Bally/ Williams/ Data East manuals can be downloaded without charge from www.ipdb.org but that the site doesnt show any links for downloading newer Stern manuals. However, if you go on the Stern website and go to their parts section, you can access "excerpts" from the manuals, which in fact give you most of the sections you'd ever look at. And unlike the ipdb manual downloads which can be slow to download due to the limited download speed, the Stern excerpts are really quick to open. You can also access ROM revisions from the site